Hey guys,
Is the tranny on the Diesel Rams different than the Hemi models? Are they robust and have any issues?
I know a lot of people say on this forum that Dodge transmissions are fine, but the 2002 Ram gasser I sold to my dad last year did have the tranny go bad on it shortly after. He is now thinking of trading it before heading to Florida with a fifth wheel camper.
Thanks.

 

Yes they are different tranny's. The Hemi's have the 545RFE and the diesels have 48RE. A little basics and transmission names for auto's. Typically every domestic manufacturer does this, not sure about imports. But the numbers and letters all have a meaning. Typically the first number is the amount of gears, so the hemi has 5 and the diesels have 4. Second number is the torque rating, and of course the higher the rating the beefier the trans. The hemi's is 45, and the diesels is 80, they just leave the 0 off. R is for rear wheel drive, T is for front wheel drive(on Chryslers). And E usually means electronically controlled. Some examples of transmissions used by other manufacturers is a 4R100 which is trans ford used on 7.3L powerstrokes and Lightning pickups. 4L80E which is one of GM's truck transmissions. The 5R110 is the Torqshift trans in the new Ford's. So yeah they tend to follow the layout.

And as far as reliability goes, from what I've read on here and heard, the 48RE is a great trans if you keep your truck mostly stock. So if you're planning on upgrading the power alot, you'll have to upgrade it.

 

What do you think the Getrag 238's numbers mean then? I tried to find more info on it a while ago but couldn't find much.